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WORD' CHANGE 



BY 

JOHN KNOX 


LAIRD AND LEE 

PUBLISHERS 


CHICAGO 


1927 


NEW YORK 
















grVisoi 


Copyright 1927 
By 

Laird and Lee 



©C1A996895 

Printed in the U. S. A. 


AUG, 2 5’21 


DEDICATION. 


( 7*^0 THE Metropolitan 
Press, book of original 
entry in the moral and 
material accounting of 
America, this little book is 
appreciatively dedicated. 

We can not be better 
than the newspapers we read. 

—John Knox. 


\ 







I 











WORD - CHANGE PUZZLES 
By 

John Knox 

Here is the most fascinating mental exercise of our times. 

In the compass of a half dozen words it offers sport, a test of alert¬ 
ness and memory and that warm glow of conscious pride which comes 
with the proof of one’s mental activity. 

A durable lead pencil, a knowledge of spelling, and a degree of per¬ 
sistence are the only qualifications required. Access to a good dictionary 
will be helpful at the start, but as you go on you’ll be surprised at the 
rapidity with which your knowledge of words and their construction 
grows. 

Aside from the intellectual uplift, you’ll have a lot of fun. 

HOW IT IS DONE 

The object of the game is to change a given word into another given 
word of different spelling and usually opposite meaning. The changes 
are made through a series of “steps” or alterations, in each of which 
you may change only one letter. Each change must result in a new 
word of good standing in current dictionaries, and the final change to 
the desired word must be reached in the fewest possible number of 

AN EXAMPLE 

Let us go from TIN to CAR. This is a simple operation, even for 
those who do not live in Detroit. First set down the word TIN (and 
let me suggest that you PRINT, rather than WRITE your words); 


5 














then make a change in the second letter, substituting an A for the I. 
Now you have the word TAN as the result of your first step. Next 
change the T to a C and you have CAN as a result of your second step. 

Considering their experience with certain cars, some people might 
feel that the descriptive part of the job had been accomplished—but 
we will take one more step, changing the N to an R and making a CAR 
out of TIN in three steps. 

There are other perfectly good sequences. For instance, there is TIN 
TAN TAR CAR. 

Any solution is good if the words used are good words and the 
number of steps is the same as are given in the back of the book. There 
are even a few instances where you can reach the solution in a step or 
two less than the author and have the satisfaction of showing him up. 

Get a group of friends together (with an enemy or two, to make it 
exciting), give each a copy of this book and let them see who can first 
produce correct solutions for any ten or twenty selected problems. If 
you haven’t enough books to go around, make lists of the problems and 
tell them to go to it. 

You’ll get some surprising results. WORD-CHANGES make no 
attempt to masquerade as an intelligence test, but the author has noted 
that victory in such trials rests with the people whose minds are most 
active rather than with those whose minds have received the most 
scholastic training. 

It was said of crossword puzzles that they were the first excuse for 
a college education. This cannot be fairly said against WORD- 
CHANGES. 

I wish you luck. The first problem indicates that perhaps you’ll 
need something more than luck on your side. 

THE SOLUTIONS 

The solutions for the problems in this book will be found on pages 
131 to 140. 

They have not been listed in direct numerical order. This is so that 
the game may be restrained from cheating the player. Suppose that 
they were arranged in numerical order and you looked at the list to see 
if your solution of Number One was correct. Number Two’s solution 
would force itself on your consciousness and hamper the free use of 
your mind in working the problem out for yourself. 

In the following lists the correct solutions for all problems whose 
number ends with 1 (1, 11, 21, etc.) will be found on page 131. Those 
ending with 2 (2, 12, 22, etc.) will be found on the page after the l’s, 
and the same order will be followed until all the solutions have been 
listed. 

John Knox. 


6 



1. Go from LUCK to WORK in four steps. You will 
always have to do this anyway, so it is just as well to start 
out on the right basis. Someone once defined amusement as 
hard work that you like to do. 

Solution given on page 131 


2. Go from WANT to HAVE in three steps. You want 
the solution of this one, don’t you? Just a few minutes and 
you’ll have it. 


Solution given on page 132 



































keek! 


3. Change BOY to MAN in three steps. Of course, there 
are a great many ways to do this, but we suggest that you 
adhere to the method set forth in the opening explanation. 
When you look back, it really seems to have happened as 
fast as that. 

Solution given on page 133 


4. Go from SICK to WELL in four steps. Did you ever 
wish that someone would step out of the Green Fairy Book 
and do this for you? Ten pages of this work ought to cure 
almost anything but a broken leg. 

Solution given on page 134 































0 



' RAGE -MAGE ~MAL 



5. Turn a DUD into a WOW in four steps. This book 
is positively guaranteed to do this to almost any kind of a 
party. We thought of calling it “HANDY HELPS FOR 
WALL FLOWERS.” 

Solution given on page 135 


6. Go from JAIL to a FINE in five steps. If the judge 
doesn’t seem interested in the idea, hand him a lead pencil 
and a copy of this book. Even judges yield to gratitude. 

Solution given on page 136 




9 

































7. To go from CELL to FREE is a natural consequence 
of the last one. You’ll feel so good that you’ll hardly notice 
the five steps you need. No one so appreciates freedom as 
those to whom it has been denied. 

Solution given on page 137 


8. Go from WIFE to BOSS in six steps. At this point 
in the party, the neighborhood humorist will bust into the 
public eye with some sort of an epigram based on the theory 
that the two words are synonyms. The comeback is, “You 
certainly got a tough break out of life, didn’t you?” 

Solution given on page 138 

































9. Go from HEAD to TAIL in five steps. This covers 
a lot of territory. Some good liars measure the fish that get 
away by paces on the parlor rug, and it cheers them up won¬ 
derfully if the audience looks interested. 

Solution given on page 139 


10. Change KING to RULE in four steps. A gentleman 
whose present post office address is in Holland is said to be 
getting into training for long walking tours. He doesn’t 
think much of the delights of Paris. 

Solution given on page 140 






























LET'S MAKE THIS A LITTLE HARDER 

You have surely learned to walk through the 
maze of word changes by now. If you haven’t, 
you will very soon. On the principle that the way 
to teach a girl to swim is to push her off the dock, 
we are going to omit the number of steps required 
for each change from this point on. It will add a 
lot of snap to the game, particularly if several of 
you are trying to show each other up—and that is 
the way to get the real enjoyment out of this game. 

We’ll start the new order of things with a sim¬ 
ple, harmless, inoffensive, natural, conventional 
and very usual transition. 

Let’s go! 


13 


.o 



FULL-FUEL-^^^ 

keek! 


11. Change a PUP to a DOG in a few steps. The little 
beggars grow up awfully fast and, speaking of stepping, a 
pup isn’t a dog until the rest of him grows up to his feet. 

Solution given on page 131 


12. Go from GLASS to PLATE in as few steps as you 
can. This is a tough one, but if you don’t pay too much 
attention to the glass, you’ll get through with it all right. 
It ought to be a familiar process; you do it every time you 
eat. 


Solution given on page 132 
































0 



■RAGE-HAGE 



13. Go from WATER to RIVER. We have had so much 
of this lately that everyone should know how it is done. Like 
all natural processes, it is simple and direct. Nature doesn’t 
waste time. 

Solution given on page 133 


14. Go from HAT to CAP. We slip in an easy one like 
this every now and then to give you a thrill. Still, it is 
entirely possible to get the wrong headpiece if one is care¬ 
less. Since these mistakes are made most often in restau¬ 
rants, perhaps you had better not try this too soon after 
eating. 

Solution given on page 134 

































IS. Go from DOOR to SHUT in as few steps as you can. 
This is an accomplishment conducive to peace and general 
good will in both private and commercial life. There is a 
little work and care involved. Don’t try to slam through 
with it. 

Solution given on page 135 


16. Go from HOLD to ACES. This is a process calling 
for care, jurisprudence and equanimity. It is easy to get 
off the track by drawing to a pair of wild ones—we mean 
wild words, of course. What put that idea into your head? 

Solution given on page 136 




16 





























17. Go from ORE to TIN quite briefly. This it another 
of those deceptive things. The process is simple, but there 
is a lot of care involved. A smelter will take more time than 
we do—but look who we are! 

Solution given on page 137 


18. Go from BETS to LOST. This has always been a 
disturbingly brief process with the author. Maybe your 
experience has been different, but weVe about lost hope. 


Solution given on page 138 

































o 



£jOU-*‘ 

keek! 


19. Go from PAPER to PRESS. Any newspaper man 
can tell you that a terrific amount of work is involved in this 
process. Of course, this is a good chance to prove that every¬ 
body knows more than an editor. I am an editor. 

Solution given on page 139 


20. Go from WRITE to PHONE. It is really a much 
quicker process after you get the right number and if you’re 
not on a party line and if the operator doesn’t cut you off 
and if you and the person you are talking to can hear each 
other. 


Solution given on page 140 

































-RAGH-nAGE-miH-^g^^ 



21. Change GRATE to STOVE. This is a simple little 
process in domestic engineering. Of course, the grate is more 
cheerful, but one has to admit that the stove is a bit more 
practical for frying eggs. 

Solution given on page 131 


22. Change LOVE to HOME. Perhaps this antique 
connection is not in sympathy with the New Thought and 
the Emancipation of the Stronger Sex, but it really is still 
being done in places. 

Solution given on page 132 






























•WALK- WELB 


RIDE 


23. Go from HILL to VALE. Offhand, the easiest way 
would seem to be to push one over into the other and level 
them, but even that involves a little work. 

Solution given on page 133 


24. Go from ONE to ALL. This process is conventional 
in the dissemination of scandal and the merchandising of silk 
stockings. Everyone has enough experience of some sort to 
do this easily. 


Solution given on page 134 
































25. Go from FIRE to HEAT. This is not at all involved, 
but a great many janitors seem unable to grasp the underly¬ 
ing idea. If you are paying money to support a janitor, give 
him this little book with a light remark or two. He may 
work this out and see a great light. 

Solution given on page 135 


26. Change WISE to FOOL. There is really very little 
margin between the two. In fact, most of us have a little of 
both characteristics. I am not in a position to say which 
will be of the greatest help in working out this problem. 

Solution given on page 136 

































o 



p-OU-.- 

KEEH. f 


27. Go from SORE to CURE. Science is getting more 
wonderful every day. You will be surprised how quickly 
this can be done. You won’t need even the bedside manner 
or a Vandyke beard. 

Solution given on page 137 


28. Go from HEN to FLY. The fool birds could rise 
above their surroundings if they had enough sense to use 
the means with which Nature has provided them, but they 
are incurable conservatives. If suffrage were extended to 
chickens, they would still be voting for Grover Cleveland. 

Solution given on page 138 


































-RAGE-HAGE-rmg-ra^g-Hzuc, 



29. Go from SIX to TEN. This is a wonderful oppor¬ 
tunity to make a liar out of the arithmetic. Now that George 
Washington has been exposed, someone ought to show up 
the multiplication table. 

Solution given on page 139 


30. Change BIRD to PUSS. This happens to birds who 
get careless. Of course, it is very reprehensible on the part 
of the cat not to save the feathers for the millinery trade. 

Solution given on page 140 
































31. See how many steps it takes to persuade a BUG to 
FLY. In hot weather they are so lazy that all they want to 
do is sit around on bald heads. 

Solution given on page 131 


32. Change BUNK to NEWS. Some smart young man 
has said that news is bunk which everybody believes. 

Solution given on page 132 




24 




































33. Go from CHOP to SUEY. This is taking a great 
liberty with the Chinese language, but China is far away 
and they have no navy, anyway, so it seems safe to take the 
chance without fear of armed reprisals. 

Solution given on page 133 


34. Go from CHOW to MEIN. Perhaps by going 
through this subject from one end to the other we may find 
what they put into the stuff. The constituents of chow mein 
are somewhat of a mystery to most people. 

Solution given on page 134 































35. Go from STALE to FRESH. This is a hard one. It 
partakes of the nature of the job incurred in unscrambling 
an egg. There is no intent to refer to the two preceding 
problems. 

Solution given on page 135 


36. Change VIM to PEP. We didn’t realize until we 
started this that there was such a difference between the two. 

Solution given on page 136 































-I^GE-nAGE-mLE-H^H , ~m?r/7L 


37. Go from ANT to BEE. These two insects have 
much in common, including industry, thrift and the gift of 
making an impression on people with whom they come in 
contact. 

Solution given on page 137 


38. Go from WIDE to SLIM in eight steps. Here is 
something of absorbing interest to every woman under forty 
—and that includes practically all of the sex. 

Solution given on page 138 



27 


■/ 































tkkck wkle 


RIDB 


39. Change LIFE to LOVE. These two are almost iden¬ 
tical and the steps between are almost invisible, as your 
pencil will show you. 

Solution given on page 139 


40. Go from SIDE to BACK. If the change makes you 
snore, all you have to do is roll over again. This one is so 
easy that you can almost do it in your sleep. 

Solution given on page 140 






























41. How many steps does it take to MAKE a ROLL? 
This universal human ambition seems to be a very brief and 
easy accomplishment—in this game, at least. 

Solution given on page 131 


42. How many steps was the LAMB behind MARY 
when he followed her to school on that historic morning? 
Historians are too often silent on these intimate details. 

Solution given on page 132 































o 



keen/ 


43. Go from KISS to KILL. The reason I dislike some 
movie stars is that I don’t know which I want to do to them. 
I am speaking of the apparently masculine stars. 

Solution given on page 133 


44. Go from GEE to HAW. Of course, a horse can do 
this in one—but the horse is a very intelligent animal. We 
will need a few more steps than this. 

Solution given on page 134 































0 






45. Change MAMA to WARM. The music and other 
conditions really have more to do with the completion of 
the process than have the steps. Steps are the only thing 
we are considering here. 

Solution given on page 135 


46. Go from DOG to HOT. This seems almost too 
brief, but most hot dogs would be the better for a little 
more cooking than they get. Who first classified hot dogs 
as food, anyway? 


Solution given on page 136 
































47. Change DOGS to RACE. I know dogs can run, but 
I wish they would keep them out of horse races. I always 
seem to have the luck to bet on one. 

Solution given on page 137 


48. Go from TIP to BET in four steps. We will draw 
the veil of silence over what happens after that. Why is it 
that men who wouldn’t cash a check for John D. will put 
their money up on the word of a race-track tout? 

Solution given on page 138 




32 






























49. Go from WADE to SAND. Wonderful relaxation. 
It brings back departed youth, puts sand burrs between your 
toes and gives the mosquitoes a feeling that life holds some¬ 
thing for them, after all. 

Solution given on page 139 


50. How many steps does it take to make the WEST go 
WILD? This book did it in one jump—and the East, too, 
for that matter. 


Solution given on page 140 

































o 



•gOU-,- FULL-FOEJ;^^^ 

keek/ 


51. Go from NEWS to READ. This is going to be hard 
for those who don’t go past the headlines and the comic 
strips. Some newspapers still print a little news. 

Solution given on page 131 


52. Go from PONY to RACE. Some ponies will finish 
a race and some will take only about as many steps as you 
will need to take in doing this one. 

Solution given on page 132 

































0 



-m.GE-HAGE-mLE-HtZE-mR'. 



53. Go from WORK to WAGE. These steps are the 
happiest of the whole week. Pay day cheers up the help 
so much that it is a wonder employers don’t have one every 
day. 

Solution given on page 133 


54. Change PIER to FISH. This is about the slowest 
kind of fishing we know of. People have been known to 
work at it all day without much result. 

Solution given on page 134 






























"WALK WALE 


RIDE 



55. Go along the ROAD and find a place to PARK. 
There are a few places where this can still be done—but 
not on Sunday. 

Solution given on page 135 


56. Go from WHEAT to FLOUR. This ought to be 
easy for anyone from Minneapolis, although you don’t have 
to know anything about flour mills to do it. 

Solution given on page 136 































57. Go from HOPE to WORK. Hope is very inspiriting, 
but it doesn’t produce the results you will get from work. 
A blend of both is what keeps the world going. 

Solution given on page 137 


58. Go from TWO to SIX. Here is another case where 
you can have the satisfaction of making a liar out of the 
principles of arithmetic. 

Solution given on page 138 
































.o 



OOLV FULL-FOEC-^ 

keek I 


59. Go from TOAD to WART. When we were kids, we 
believed toads were the one reliable source of warts and now 
we find that the two are not very far apart. 

Solution given on page 139 


60. Go from SMELL to STILL. This is one way to 
locate a bootlegger, but it is hardly necessary. They are 
glad to call for orders at any time you wish, just like the 
grocery boy. 


Solution given on page 140 

































0 






61. This STORY is SHORT. You know the answer be¬ 
fore you start, which is true of most of the “new” stories 
your friends want to tell you. Brevity is its only appeal; 
it has no sex interest. 

Solution given on page 131 


62. Go from STEW to BOIL. The solution is the same 
whether you regard the problem as culinary or alcoholic. 
Like both the processes mentioned, it takes a little time. 

Solution given on page 132 































63. Change HEAD to MIND. The possession of the 
first is no assurance of the activity of the latter. Losing 
one’s head and losing one’s mind are entirely different dis¬ 
asters. 

Solution given on page 133 


64. Go from CITY to FARM. One of our most popu¬ 
lar subjects of conversation is the idea of getting a little 
place in the country. Many are talking, but few are moving. 

Solution given on page 134 






























65. Go from RAT to FUR—but don’t let them sell it 
to you at a sealskin price. Every woman must have her 
fur coat even if father has to get another season’s mileage 
out of the benny he bought the year after the war. 

Solution given on page 135 


66. Go from PAID to DOWN. The next hundred years 
are the hardest, particularly if you try to nudge a truck 
off the road. 


Solution given on page 136 

































^jOlJ-r FULL 

keek! 


67. Go from DOG to TIE. Easy for you, but tough 
on the dog. Fido ought to have his regular Thursday night 
out. 

Solution given on page 137 


68. Change THE to AND. There is no particular phi¬ 
losophy or wisdom involved. It is just a real good problem. 

Solution given on page 138 
































69. Go from SELF to HELP. After your friends have 
turned you down, you can always depend on yourself to 
get busy. Why not depend upon yourself from the first and 
save lost motion? 

Solution given on page 139 


70. Go from DIRTY to CLEAN. This works into the 
longest solution you have had so far. It is all straight going, 
though. Only two unusual words are used and they are 
both in the back of the book. 

Solution given on page 140 






























-WAUC WALE! 


RIDE 


71. Take BYRD to the POLE. There wasn’t any crowd 
waiting for him when he got there and the flight was a big¬ 
ger job than this word change. Of course, he was a naval 
officer and it was expected of him. 

Solution given on page 131 


72. Change DOME to WEAK. Perhaps it is; you’re 
not the first one who has told us that. Maybe yours isn’t 
so awfully strong, either. 

Solution given on page 132 































73. Change AI to RA. Just a little fun with our old 
friends of crossword puzzle days, the three-toed Sun God 
and the Egyptian sloth. Many a long winter evening we 
all spent chasing them around the black squares! 

Solution given on page 133 


74. Go from GOLF to WIFE. If you do this one in 
bogey, maybe you can convince her that you hurried right 
home as soon as you could and that you didn’t waste a 
step on the way. 

Solution given on page 134 




45 

































o 



^X.-EULL-PDEL-fgg^^^ 

keen! 


75. Go from MOON to MUSH. Oh, you great big, 
Wonderful MAN! How strong you are! Science, invention 
and government have made wonderful progress, but it’s the 
same old moon and the same old line. 

Solution given on page 135 


76. Go from TAXIS to FARES. Did you ever try to 
be lighthearted and gay while the meter ticked up to and 
past the total of your wad? 

Solution given on page 136 





























0 



-RAGE-KAGB -mLmUB-mTf. 



77. Go from CASH to POOR. It’s easier to do this one 
the way we have written it than it is to do it backwards. 
According to the good book, the poor we have always with 
us. The writer can prove that the cash doesn’t follow the 
same course. 

Solution given on page 137 


78. Go from BARK to BITE. Authorities say that 
when dogs bark they don’t bite and that they will keep their 
distance if you don’t let them see that you are afraid. How 
many steps is that distance? 

Solution given on page 138 






























VJJSOZ WRLB 


RIDE 


79. Go from BELL to RING. Use your head and your 
pencil. Keeping your finger on the button won’t do any 
good this time. 

Solution given on page 139 


80. Change CALF to VEAL. You’ll have to work fast 
to beat the Chicago stockyards time on this operation. 

Solution given on page 140 






























81. Go from HAND to FOOT. This is what advertis¬ 
ing men call complete coverage. It’s a simple trick, but they 
get lots of money for it. 

Solution given on page 131 


82. Go from SPUR to STOP. I wonder what the aver¬ 
age horse thinks of his rider’s intelligence. First his boss 
makes him go to the right, then to the left, then run his heart 
out and then stop. Probably horses wish that riders would 
decide what they want and then stick to it. 

Solution given on page 132 































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#&£•■ ?U ll ' f UEI,-E55 C( 


keen! 


83. Go from SHAME to PRIDE. It is a great thing to 
be able to do this. About the hardest handicap a person 
can have is a lack of pride in what he is and what he does. 

Solution given on page 133 


84. Go to the BANK for CASH. This is a case where 
many call, but few are chosen. You’ve heard the story 
about the banker with the glass eye. 

Solution given on page 134 

































0 



-RAGE-HAGE-mLmiZE-mzR'. 



85. Go from WARM to COOL. One can stand this 
from the weather, but it isn’t so nice when the boy or girl 
friend (as the case may be) does it. 

Solution given on page 135 


86. Change BILL to PAID. You get a little glow out of 
this, but a lot of us have too many bills for our capacity to 
pay. Why are salesmen so much more friendly than col¬ 
lectors? 


Solution given on page 136 































-WAUC WRLB 


RIDE 


87. Go from PORK to CHOP. You can do it even 
faster than Armour if you are Swift. 

Solution given on page 137 


88. Go from PRAY to CUSS. There is efficiency in 
both. Prayer gives rise to faith and hope, but cussing is 
sometimes a wonderful relief. 

Solution given on page 138 

































89. Go from COOK to BURN. There is a very narrow 
margin between these two, but that margin is the difference 
between perfection and failure. There are fewer steps to 
success than to disaster. 

Solution given on page 139 


90. Change AM to BE. Here is one of those innocent, 
simple little things that has teeth like a bear trap if you don’t 
watch your steps carefully. 

Solution given on page 140 
































.o 



' £ULh ' FVEL ' p ^^^ 

keek/ 


91. Change FLAT to HOME. The right kind of a 
homemaker can do this wherever she is. The wrong kind 
can’t make the grade with fifteen rooms, nineteen baths, a 
seven car garage and an iron deer on the front lawn. 

Solution given on page 131 


92. Go from WON’T to WILL. The ladies really have 
an advantage on this one. They are so accustomed to doing 
this themselves and to making men do it for them that the 
solution of this should be almost automatic. 

Solution given on page 132 


































•RAGE -ITAGE _ 



93. Go from HAIR to BALD. This is one of the trage¬ 
dies of advancing age. When it happens, brother, there isn’t 
much you can do about it. Hair growers will help you kid 
yourself along, but that’s all. 

Solution given on page 133 


94. Go from SANE to BUGS. Don’t let this book affect 
you that way. The charm of this game lies in the irritation 
it gives you. 

Solution given on page 134 



55 


■/ 































V7ALK WALS 


RIDE 



95. Go from FEAR to HERO. Everybody gets scared 
some time. The hero is the one who goes through with the 
job when he is afraid to do it. 

Solution given on page 135 


96. Go from MOTH to LAMP. People, as well as 
moths, are sometimes destroyed by the realization of their 
desires. 


Solution given on page 136 
































97. Go from HERE to HELL. You’ll be surprised how 
close you are to the brimstone and pitchforks right now. 

Solution given on page 137 


98. Go from DIRT to SOAP. Here is something we all 
do every day (at least, we can’t afford to admit that we 
don’t do it) and yet the word change is as reluctant as a 
small boy’s struggles with the back of his neck. 

Solution given on page 138 



57 


■/ 
































.o 



•gOU4* FULL-FUEL,^^^^ 

keek/ 


99. Go from SHE to HIM. Not grammatical, but you 
get the idea. Shes have been going to hims for a long, long 
time and the hims have been coming across with the pre¬ 
vailing currency. The history of domestic shakedowns 
would come close to being the story of the human race. 

Solution given on page 139 


100. Go from NICE to WILD. Girls will be boys, but 
the gap between the sexes is too wide to be bridged by a 
shingle bob and a package of cigarettes. 

Solution given on page 140 































0 



•RAGE -MAGE 



101. Go from FISH to SWIM. You would naturally 
suppose that this would be easy, but it isn’t. Human knowl¬ 
edge is made up of a lot of accepted facts that aren’t so. 

Solution given on page 131 


102. Change SAP to WIT. The rating of a man’s brilli¬ 
ance depends on whether or not he agrees with your pet 
theories. People often get in wrong by laughing at the wrong 
things just because they happen to be amusing. 

Solution given on page 132 




























^salk wale 


RIDE 


103. Go from FORD to JOKE. This is not propaganda. 
Ford has learned to apply Barnum’s principle that it makes 
no difference what people say about you, as long as they 
talk about you. 

Solution given on page 133 


104. Go from FOUR to FIVE. After you get it done 
and add it up you wonder if the mathematicians have been 
putting something over on you all these years. 

Solution given on page 134 
































105. Go from BIRD to TREE. Two simple little four 
letter words, but there is a lot of trouble between them. 
Birds can do it in fewer steps than you can, but birds don’t 
have to step. 

Solution given on page 135 


106. Go from GAS to AIR. Whenever you have to 
trade a vowel off for a consonant, particularly at the begin¬ 
ning of a word, you have trouble. Being a human concept, 
word changes are full of trouble. 

Solution given on page 136 





























o 



^SOLL- FULL-FUEL-fg^ 

keen! 


107. Go from CAR to ARK. You have probably been 
impressed by the ease with which this happens every time 
you have tried to trade in a three year old car, even though 
it is the best one the company ever built. 

Solution given on page 137 


108. Go from TEACH to LEARN. Teachers will re¬ 
joice to find one place where this can be done without the 
usual difficulty. It isn’t any too easy, at that. 

Solution given on page 138 



































109. Go from SMALL to SHORT. Here are two natural 
affinities which ought to be even closer together than you 
will find them. This problem has no reference to the gov¬ 
ernor of Illinois. 

Solution given on page 139 


110. Go from PLAY to WORK. These are slow and un¬ 
welcome steps, but there are only a few of them. Life is 
like that. 


Solution given on page 140 































111. Go from PARK to PLUG. It’ll take you a little 
time to get into position, but no cop will be waiting on the 
curbstone with a ticket for you. They ought to keep fire 
plugs away from parking places. 

Solution given on page 131 


112. Go from TIRE to REST. We don’t mean chang¬ 
ing one, although a little rest after changing one is welcome, 
particularly if your spare was flat. 

Solution given on page 132 



64 


✓ 































113. Change LASS to WIFE. Usually the girls insist on 
more ceremony, although the excuse that it is the only time 
in a girl’s life doesn’t hold good any more. Rice, shoes, 
bridesmaids and the mislaid ring give place to one lead 
pencil. 

Solution given on page 133 


114. Change a DIME to a BUCK. You’ll need this ac¬ 
complishment after going through the process discussed in 
the last problem. When you have to meet installments on 
everything from furniture and fur coats to automobiles and 
babies your bucks will look like dimes. 

Solution given on page 134 
































^LV FULI.-H)EC,-f E5Ci ^^ 

keen! 


115. Go from WALK to TROT. You’ll have to do 
better than that when the whistle of the 8:17 tells you that 
your watch is three minutes slow. 

Solution given on page 135 


116. Go from MIST to RAIN. This happens when you 
have no umbrella, the nearest car line is six blocks away, 
there are no taxis and she has just had her hair waved. 

Solution given on page 136 

































0 






117. Change GIRL to DATE. This is nice—if you get 
the right girl and she doesn’t bring Ritz expectations. 

Solution given on page 137 


118. Go from OARS to BOAT. It’s easy, though a bit 
long. If you take your time, you won’t catch any crabs— 
but if you slip, you’ll find the water is full of them. 

Solution given on page 138 

































119. Go from FAIR to FOUL. After you have done 
this, you’ll have more sympathy for the difficulties of the um¬ 
pire. It’s disappointing to have a long drive land one step 
outside the foul line. 

Solution given on page 139 


120. Travel the ROAD to FAME. Better step it off on 
the ground. The air is overcrowded; Lindy took the cream 
off that route. 


Solution given on page 140 
































121. Go from MINE to GOLD. You don’t have to go 
to Weepah. Most of us have gold mines in our own back 
yards, like the hero of Acres of Diamonds. 

Solution given on page 131 


122. Go from CAT to MEW. Pulling her tail or rub¬ 
bing catnip on her nose are barred as means of reaching the 
solution. 


Solution given on page 132 
































o 



keek/ 


123. Go from TIRE to BLOW. I hope you’ll never 
have to take more steps than you need here after such a 
calamity. Did you ever walk seven miles to a garage under 
an August sun? 

Solution given on page 133 


124. Go from SEED to TREE. You can put a swift one 
over on Mother Nature here, but be careful! We’re not 
always successful in speeding up the old lady. 

Solution given on page 134 
































-RAGE-HAGE 


:c 


125. Go from CASE to MOON. You don’t have to 
bother about the labels or the corks. This is only a theo¬ 
retical case of imaginary moon. 

Solution given on page 135 


126. Go from ARMS to PLOW. If Europe would only 
do this, we could all sleep better nights—including the Euro¬ 
peans. Perhaps it’s too much to expect from a quarrelsome 
world. 


Solution given on page 136 
































■WALK v®le 


RIDE 



127. Go from ASK to GET. It’s easy enough with a 
lead pencil, but have you ever tried it on a bank? 

Solution given on page 137 


128. Go from WANT to HAVE. This is short and easy 
to encourage you after the last one. It is a bit more cheer¬ 
ful in tone, too. 

Solution given on page 138 




72 































129. Go from JAIL to FREE. You don’t need a lawyer, 
a bondsman or any medical experts to do this. Of course, 
there is no publicity in this method—but we can’t have 
everything. 

Solution given on page 139 


130. Go from DINE to FAST. It may be healthful to 
fast but it isn’t comfortable—and the writer speaks from 
experience. If you’re reducing, that’s different; you have 
conscious virtue to help you over the hungry hours. 

Solution given on page 140 

































.o 



pjLT-.- FULI-FUEL-^^ 

keek/ 


131. Go from HOP to FLY. Some of the boys get them 
off the ground in a hurry, but staying up is another matter. 
Falling in an airplane never hurt anyone. The trouble hap¬ 
pens when you light. 

Solution given on page 131 


132. Can you NAME the BABY without getting into a 
family fight? You have to be alone to do this. If you let 
the relatives in on it, all you’ll get is a battle. 

Solution given on page 132 



74 


✓ 































-RRGE-HAGE-HSLE'J^^-i^^ 



133. Go from NONE to MANY. I hope you will al¬ 
ways be able to do this when you want to and that it will 
work on everything from friends to dollars. 

Solution given on page 133 


134. Go from HICK to CITY. This shouldn’t be diffi¬ 
cult. There are more hicks in the cities than anywhere else. 

Solution given on page 134 






























-WAUC WALE 


RIDE 


135. Did you ever have a PARTY turn to a FROST? It 
is a heartbreaking experience. If you have a few of these 
books handy, you can always save the evening. 

Solution given on page 135 


136. Go from CALL to COME. Most women wish that 
husbands, children, plumbers and dogs could be trained to 
do this. 


Solution given on page 136 
































137. Go from FLAME to SMOKE. I don’t see how 
you can get away from doing this one. One just naturally 
leads to the other. 

Solution given on page 137 


138. Turn COAL to HEAT. This is supposed to be 
easy, but I always open or shut the wrong drafts. I don’t 
know what janitors do, but they don’t have much luck, 
either. 


Solution given on page 138 
































^-FULL-FDEL-^.^^ 

keen/ 


139. Go from SEED to CROP. Agriculture in a few 
easy lessons. Life on the farm would be ideal if it were as 
easy as this one. 

Solution given on page 139 


140. Go from THIS to THAT. There is no particular 
point to this. I have to fill this book with something. 

Solution given on page 140 
































0 






141. Go from ONLY to NONE. From him that hath 
not shall be taken away, even that which he hath. 

Solution given on page 131 


142. CAME the DAWN. Why do the Hollywood people 
use such emotional language? Someone else pulled this 
phrase first, but the movies certainly gave it circulation. 

Solution given on page 132 
































"WALK- WALS 


RIDE 



143. Go from GOOD to FAIR. Kids’ report cards start 
to slip this way in the spring, along with winter golf expecta¬ 
tions and good resolutions. 

Solution given on page 133 


144. Go from DOOR to SLAM. Many people seem un¬ 
able to shut a door any other way, so this problem should 
not be difficult for the door-bangers. 

Solution given on page 134 
































145. Go from TEAR to MEND. Now here is some¬ 
thing constructive. Even in our lighter moments we must 
consider the serious things of life—and I don’t know of any¬ 
thing more serious than tears in certain places. 

Solution given on page 135 


146. Go from BROKE to FLUSH. Man, oh, man— 
what a grand and glorious feeling! No wonder miners blow 
the wad after they’ve made a strike. A man who has been 
broke so long that he hates the sight of a nickel must relieve 
the steam pressure some way. 

Solution given on page 136 



81 


■/ 

































pULL - FULL 

keen! 


147. Change IRON to WOOD. Roll your own philos¬ 
ophy. I’m tired trying to be clever on every one of these. 

Solution given on page 137 


148. Go from FIRE to BURN. Some people never 
learn that if you fool with one you’ll have to accept the 
other. The two are inseparable. 

Solution given on page 138 


































149. Take a STY from your EYE. If youVe ever had 
one, you know how anxious you were to get rid of it. 

Solution given on page 139 


150. Go from PIG to HOG. They grow fast, but even 
Nature inserts a few intermediate steps—and that’s what 
you will have to do. 

Solution given on page 140 




83 
































VJALK WALE 


RIDE 



151. Go from ONE to TWO. Here the artithmetic 
throws up its hands, and creeps into the weeds in the face 
of facts. 

Solution given on page 131 


152. Go from JUNE to JULY. This should take only a 
moment, but you 11 probably spend more time than that 
on it. 

Solution given on page 132 




84 




































153. Go from HURT to HEAL. You can work faster 
with a pencil than a box car full of doctors with a whole 
drug store can travel—but they get paid for their time. 

Solution given on page 133 


154. Change OLD to NEW. It takes more than a paint 
job, whether the subject be cars or complexions. It is a 
universial aspiration which is never fulfilled. 

Solution given on page 134 




85 
































o 



FULL-FUEL-iTgjj,. 

keek/ 


155. Go from MAST to HULL. Heave ho, my hearties! 
Take two reefs in the mizzenmast and clew up the fo’c’sle! 

Solution given on page 135 


156. Go from ROOT to TREE. The class in forestry 
will please go to the board and show that it has something 
in its head besides sawdust. 

Solution given on page 136 


































0 



•RAGE -HAGE -MALE'Mn^E'Klx,^^ 



157. Go from PAIN to EASE. Every now and then 
this game seems to horn in on the privileges of the medical 
profession, but that is not unprecedented. Everybody has 
a doctor book in the medicine cabinet. 

Solution given on page 137 


158. Go from DECK to KEEL. Aha, John Silver, I 
know you now! Come out from behind that wooden leg 
and fight like a man! Fetch aft the rum, Darby McGraw! 

Solution given on page 138 






























■ffiffiLK WRLB 


RIDE 



159. Go from FORE to REAR. Maybe somebody 
down there at the foot of the class can tell you that we 
don’t spell “fish” with a “q.” 

Solution given on page 139 


160. Change a SCOT to a YANK. Anybody who can 
do this in real life can sell stock in Haig and Haig, Inc., to 
Wayne B. Wheeler. 


Solution given on page 140 


































161. Turn JAZZ to TUNE. If you take this problem 
too seriously, you’ll never get away with it. You have to 
jump right and give it the razz at the start. 

Solution given on page 131 


162. Go from FOOL to LIAR. There is a difference, 
but they have one thing in common—they deceive nobody 
but themselves. 


Solution given on page 132 































fe? 

KEBK . 1 

163. Go from BARK to TREE. The town Smart Aleck 
will now draw a deep breath and ask if the problem concerns 
a dogwood tree. See to it that he takes no more breaths of 
any length. When we are kidding anyone or anything, we 
don’t want to be kidded by outsiders without a membership 
card. 

Solution given on page 133 


164. Go from BEER to WINE. Neither has any friends 
of political influence since the bootleggers have deserted the 
old standard and joined the movement for light fines and 
cheers. 


Solution given on page 134 

































0 






165. Go from MINOR to MAJOR. This is a noble am¬ 
bition for bush league ball players, but very distressing in 
quartette singers. 

Solution given on page 135 


166. Change MINX to LADY. Coquetry is good bait, 
but the firm hand of dignity is needed to keep the poor fish 
in the boat after he has digested the hook. 

Solution given on page 136 





























167. Go from BIRD to SING. Most bird stores will 
replace defective parts if the bird doesn’t sing in ninety 
days. 

Solution given on page 137 


168. In how many steps can you PLOD to your HOME? 
Did you ever ask a real estate man the difference between 
“a stone’s throw” and “walking distance”? 

Solution given on page 138 































169. Get a SEAT for your FARE. Just try to get it! 
Street car and subway executives just burst into tears when 
your indignation rises to the point where you get off and 
walk to show what you think of them. 

Solution given on page 139 


170. Go from CORD to ROPE. If you save up the 
grocer’s string all winter and plant it early in the spring, 
you’ll have a crop of clothes-line when the children go back 
to school in September. 

Solution given on page 140 































POLV FULL-fuel-^^ 

keen/ 


171. Go from a NICKEL to a DOLLAR. I had to use 
several strange words in this one, but they’re not half as 
strange as some of the words you would use if you found 
out that you could really do this. There is absolutely no 
fun in working this one backwards. 

Solution given on page 131 


172. Go from PARK to BUMS. That “go” is a figure 
of speech. When you are in a park you don’t have to go 
anywhere to find bums. They’re all around you. 

Solution given on page 132 




94 































0 





173. Change an HOUR to a YEAR. That is the im¬ 
pression you get while the dentist is drilling for oil in the 
southeast quarter of your upper jaw. 

Solution given on page 133 


174. Change MAMA to PAPA. This is not a joke. It 
is a panic-stricken admission of an incontrovertible fact. 
They are putting it over, boys! 

Solution given on page 134 



95 


■/ 






























VlALK WALB 


RIDE 


175. Go from TOIL to LOAF. The modern heaven has 
eliminated harp work in favor of alarm clocks. The residents 
get such a laugh out of ignoring the alarm clocks that they 
don’t even tell the timepieces to go to the other neighbor¬ 
hood. 

Solution given on page 135 


176. Go from SKIP to JUMP. This is just a gambol— 
yes, I spelled that the way I wanted to! 

Solution given on page 136 
































177. Turn OIL to GAS. That’s why you have to drain 
your crankcase every five hundred miles. The oil refineries 
separate the gas and the oil, and the automobile makers mix 
’em up again. Coming and going! 

Solution given on page 137 


178. Go from PEN to INK. In post offices they have 
pens that are too dull to penetrate the ink and ink that is too 
hard to stick to the pens. 

Solution given on page 138 


































keek! 


179. Can you FRY an EGG? Either side up will do 
and if it sticks to the pan you can open a can of beans with 
the can opener. 

Solution given on page 139 


180. Turn WIND to SAIL. This is for sailors. 

Solution given on page 140 

































181. Turn WIND to SALE. This is for salesmen. 

Solution given on page 131 


182. Turn TREE to WOOD. No matter how slow the 
pencil may seem, don’t lose your temper and try to do the 
job with an axe. 

Solution given on page 132 




99 


































183. Go from PORK to BEAN. Here is the permanent 
partnership, beside which Damon and Pythias, Tom and 
Jerry and the Siamese Twins are but as the fleeing fancies 
of a moment. 

Solution given on page 133 


184. Go from CORN to BEEF. This affinity of the 
kitchen is just as intriguing in word changes as it is in hash, 
with cabbage or by Dinty Moore. 

Solution given on page 134 




100 






























185. In how many steps can you WALK a MILE? This 
one was suggested by a suburban real estate man who sells 
lots which are all in walking distance from the station. 

Solution given on page 135 


186. Go from COLD to HEAD. There is absolutely no 
humor in a situation like this. The person who has one 
knows that there is a hell, and the bystander is too busy 
worrying about getting infected to get a laugh off the other’s 
troubles. 


Solution given on page 136 
































.o 



EULL ' FDEI -'^-j ?5st ^ 

keek! 


187. Change a DEER to a LION. One drink of rabbit 
liquor can do this. Oh, that’s the kind of liquor that starts 
a rabbit looking for a bulldog to lick. 

Solution given on page 137 


188. Go from KID to DOG. It isn’t far. Dogs take 
their kids as serious responsibilities and they stick around 
where they can keep both eyes on them all the time. Dogs 
have raised as many kids as parents have raised. 

Solution given on page 138 

































0 



-RAGS -HAGE 



189. Change SIS to a BOY. Of course, Sis has done this 
a long time ago. This is merely a written confirmation and 
not a duplicate order. 

Solution given on page 139 


190. Change a HEN to an OWL. This should be an 
intellectual and not a digestive process. 

Solution given on page 140 






























-walk wale 


RIDE 



191. In how many jerks can you PULL a CORK? This 
is an imperatively necessary social accomplishment. With¬ 
out it, you will forever sit alone against the wall and even 
your best friends won’t tell you why. 

Solution given on page 131 


192. Change PAPER to MONEY. Andy Mellon is the 
only one who is getting away with this act right now. There 
is no harm in doing it here, unless you get ambitious and 
try to pass the result. 

Solution given on page 132 

































193. Go from NORTH to SOUTH. Most of the travel 
is to the West, but they say Florida is coming back next 
winter. 

Solution given on page 133 


194. Go from SOBER to TIGHT. This is largely a 
matter of supply and capacity. You have to be sure that 
the stuff you use is all right. No, we mean words. 

Solution given on page 134 




105 































o 



£0U.- EWX-FOBr,-^ 

keen. 1 


19S. Go from LEGS to LOOK. That is why they are 
displayed—and any man who would disappoint a woman 
and break her heart by neglect ought to be ashamed of him¬ 
self. 

Solution given on page 135 


196. Go from JOB to PAY. If it wasn’t for bright spots 
like this, I’d quit my piking little job today. That guy 
needn’t think I HAVE to work for him—just because he 
knows I do. 


Solution given on page 136 

































-RAGE -MAGE 



197. Go from JACK to FLAT. There is an unhappy re¬ 
lation between this and the last problem. It is disturbing 
to have it happen every Friday. My idea of wealth is to 
be able to afford cigars the last two days before pay day. 

Solution given on page 137 


198. Go from HAIL to HOOT. This is what our heroes 
get. Maybe it is nature’s way of striking an average. 

Solution given on page 138 



107 


■/ 

































RIDE 


199. Go from BOIL to HARD. Sometimes they are 
not as hardboiled as they try to make us think they are. 

Solution given on page 139 


200. Go from WORK to GOOD. There is a deep satis¬ 
faction in making our corner of the world admit that we 
know our stuff. 


Solution given on page 140 































201. Go from DOOR to LOCK. This is a trick one, 
with a very unusual word as the foundation of success. 

Solution given on page 131 


202. Go from TALK to WORK. Good advice, but not 
the easiest thing in the world to do. There is a trick word in 
this one, too. 


Solution given on page 132 































.o 



FULL-FOEL-f^^^ 

keen! 


203. Change FOOL to SAGE. This would be real prog¬ 
ress in advancing the race. The trouble is that so many 
fools think they have already done this. 

Solution given on page 133 


204. Go from WON’T to MUST. Life is doing this 
little trick to us all the time. The louder we are at the 
start, the meeker we are at the finish. 

Solution given on page 134 
































0 



-RAGE-HAGS -mjxmg-iftx.' 



20S. Go from NECK to EARS. This a job for adults. 
No small boy could do it unless he was one of those distress¬ 
ing prodigies. 

Solution given on page 135 


206. Go from MEEK to BOLD. The meek may inherit 
the earth, but the bold get a lot more use out of it. 

Solution given on page 136 






























207. Turn CHIPS to MONEY—if you have any left 
when the game breaks up. Working this backward is too 
easy for this advanced class of word jugglers. 

Solution given on page 137 


208. Go from FOOT to KNEE. There is no mystery 
about anything between these two, although we have slipped 
in a couple of disturbing words from the back of the book. 

Solution given on page 138 




112 
































209. Go from DOUBT to TRUST. Now we are getting 
down to real work with the kindergarten out of the picture. 
This stunt is a job, here or anywhere else. 

Solution given on page 139 


210. Go from FACE to FOOT. This is just a sort of 
general review of the subject. The words are brief and 
satisfactory. 


Solution given on page 140 
































o 



keek! 


211. Go from BOBS to GROW. Chaw your pencil some 
more, because this is as tough to solve as is the question 
itself. Nobody has settled the question yet, but you can 
solve the problem. 

Solution given on page 131 


212. Go from SWEET to CROSS. This is more difficult 
to do here than it is in the sacred circle of family life. There’s 
nobody to sell anything to. 

Solution given on page 132 


































213. Go from GRAY to BALD. Too bad, old man, but 
it happens to all of us in time. 

Solution given on page 133 


214. Go from SHOT to KILL. Tricky, but all the words 
are of the common or garden variety. 

Solution given on page 134 




115 































VJfSLK WELB 


RIDE 


215. Go from BOYS to PLAY. Here we have two that 
seem to belong right together, but there are several steps 
between them. Boys are fast on their feet, though. 

Solution given on page 135 




216. Go from DESK to COPY. Here is one for the 
gentlemen of the dog watch, after the last edition has been 
tucked into bed and the gang are reading the day’s stories 
by their favorite authors—themselves. 

Solution given on page 136 


V 





























217. Go from DUMP to DIVE. The term you use de¬ 
pends on whether you are going there yourself or being 
virtuous over the visits of someone else. 

Solution given on page 137 


218. Go from WATER to SHORE. This is tough work 
if you don’t know much about swimming and you’ll prob¬ 
ably use more words than we do—and stronger ones. 

Solution given on page 138 




117 

































.o 



p-OU-*' FULL 

keen! 


219. Go from SILLY to SMART. It’s as bad to be too 
much of one as it is to be too much of the other. Maybe 
you can find a comfortable middle ground. 

Solution given on page 139 


220. Go from COAT to VEST. Just an easy breathing 
spell in preparation for what is going to happen to you. Per¬ 
haps you had better take both of them off. 

Solution given on page 140 

































0 






221. Go from WALK to GOLF. They say that it’s a 
great game because it takes you out into the open air. That 
isn’t all it takes you for, either. 

Solution given on page 131 


222. Go from WIRE to HOME. Back in the Gay 
Nineties they used to sing— 

“Ah guess Ah’ll have to telegraph ma baby; 

She’ll send ten or twenty—maybe, 

An’ ah won’t have to walk back home.” 

Solution given on page 132 



119 


■/ 






























-walk: wale 


RIDE 



223. Go from FISH to POLE. Yes, I said “pole”! I 
got more fun out of fishin’ before I ever heard of a “rod” 
than I have known since. 

Solution given on page 133 


224. Go from WORM to HOOK. Now that we have a 
presidential precedent for fishin’ with worms, we can again 
hold up our heads before the fly and plug casters. 

Solution given on page 134 

































225. Go from FISH to FOOD. I’ll say they are! Just 
brown without, flaky white within and the bacon crisp and 
brittle—but not burned. Then you loaf on your back, with 
your hat over your eyes and pity the poor boobs eating 
yesterday’s doughnuts in the “one-arms.” 

Solution given on page 135 


226. Go from CARP to BASS. What a wide world of 
difference there is! In cooking a carp, you nail him to a 
plank, cook him for three hours and then throw the fish 
away and eat the plank. 

Solution given on page 136 
































o 



p-Uli- FULL-FUBt,-^.^ 

keek! 


227. Go from LACE to SHOE. I always have trouble 
getting the knots through the eyelets. 

Solution given on page 137 


228. Go from CASK to WINE. Supposed to be inter¬ 
esting because it’s illegal. If there were fewer laws making 
virtue obligatory, sin wouldn’t be half so attractive. 

Solution given on page 138 



122 


✓ 
































0 



" RAGE ~MAGE 


229. Go from PLAY to CAST. They must work to¬ 
gether. The strength of one cannot save the weakness of 
the other. 

Solution given on page 139 


230. Go LAY an EGG. After you get through with this 
one, you’ll have more respect for hens. 

Solution given on page 140 




123 







































































































































































































































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NOW, SOME DIRTY WORK AT 
THE CROSSROADS! 

Here’s where you get into the Big League of 
this game. From now on they come over the cor¬ 
ners with a world of stuff on the ball. 

You know the principle and the rules so far. 
Now we’re going to put some snap into it by add¬ 
ing one more word to each problem. 

One sample: Do you know why the GIRL 
LEFT HOME? 

You must go from GIRL to LEFT and from 
LEFT to HOME—all in the same series of steps. 
The solution of this one is: GIRL GIRT GIFT 
LIFT LEFT LOFT SOFT SORT SORE SOME 
HOME —ten steps in all. 

Let’s go! 


125 



231. Do you think CAL will RUN and WIN in 1928? 
You ought to be interested in this question, unless you are 
one of those people who are too busy to vote. 

Solution given on page 131 


232. Why does a dog BURY his BONE in a HOLE? 
If you were a dog, why would you do it? 

Solution given on page 132 



126 


✓ 































233. You need OIL and GAS to run your CAR. How 
many steps do you have to take to get them together? 

Solution given on page 133 


234. It is tough to BUNT the BALL for a FOUL on 
the third strike and get called out. You always feel that 
you should have hit a home run, instead. 

Solution given on page 134 































o 



keen! 


235. Has a judge ever LAID the speeding LAWS be¬ 
fore you in a BOOK and then charged you money for read¬ 
ing them? One always feels so foolish. 

Solution given on page 135 


236. DOGS like to HUNT for CATS, but when they 
catch one they don’t know what to do with it. Many a 
dog has nursed a sore nose and wished that the cat had 
been faster. 


Solution given on page 136 
































-RAGB-HAGE-mLE-MlZE-Hz^ L, 



237. Don’t you wish they would PAVE every DIRT and 
mud ROAD—provided you didn’t have to pay any part of 
the cost? 

Solution given on page 137 


238. Why does Milt Gross always feed his NIZE and 
hungry BABY so much RICE? I think the kid ought to 
have more gefultefisch. 

Solution given on page 138 






























239. If you can always make your HAND and FOOT 
do what your HEAD tells them to, the world is yours. 

Solution given on page 139 


240. How many steps will it take you to lead a HORSE 
to WATER and make him DRINK? The proverb says it 
can’t he done, but I know it can. One way is to pick a 
thirsty horse. 


Solution given on page 140 














































Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 1 Will Be Found on This Page 

1. LUCK LOCK COCK CORK WORK. 

11. PUP PUG DUG DOG. 

21. GRATE GRAVE GLAVE SLAVE STAVE STOVE. 
31. BUG BUN FUN FAN FAY FLY. 

41. MAKE MALE MOLE ROLE ROLL. 

51. NEWS PEWS PEAS PEAR REAR READ. 

61. STORY STORE SHORE SHORT. 

71. BYRD BYRE PYRE PORE POLE. 

81. HAND HIND FIND FOND FOOD FOOT. 

91. FLAT FEAT HEAT HEAD HELD HOLD HOLE 
HOME. 

101. FISH FIST FIAT FLAT SLAT SLIT SLIM SWIM. 

111. PARK PART PORT POOT PLOT SLOT SLOG 
SLUG PLUG. 

121. MINE MIND BIND BOND BOLD GOLD. 

131. HOP HOE DOE DEE DEY FEY FLY. 

141. ONLY OILY WILY WILE WINE NINE NONE. 
151. ONE ORE ARE ART AIT TIT TOT TOO TWO. 
161. JAZZ RAZZ RAZE RARE TARE TORE TONE 
TUNE. 

171. NICKEL NICKER SICKER SICKEN SILKEN 
SILLEN SILLER SOLLER SOLLAR DOLLAR. 
181. WIND WAND WANE SANE SALE. 

191. PULL CULL CALL CALK CARK CORK. 

201. DOOR DOOK LOOK LOCK. 

211. BOBS BOSS BOOS BOOT GOOT GROT GROW. 
221. WALK WALE WILE WILD GILD GOLD GOLF. 
231. CAL CAN RAN RUN FUN FIN WIN. 


131 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 2 

2. WANT WANE WAVE HAVE. 

12. GLASS GRASS BRASS BRATS BLATS PLATS 
PLATE. 

22. LOVE HOVE HOME. 

32. BUNK BANK BANS PANS PAWS PEWS NEWS. 
42. LAMB LAME CAME CARE MARE MARY. 

52. PONY PONE PANE PACE RACE. 

62. STEW SLEW SLOW SLOT CLOT COOT COOL 
COIL BOIL. 

72. DOME HOME HOLE HOLD HELD WELD 
WELK WEAK. 

82. SPUR SLUR SLUT SLOT SLOP STOP. 

92. WON’T WENT WEND WELD WILD WILL. 

102. SAP SIP SIT WIT. 

112. TIRE TINE TINT TENT TEST REST. 

122. CAT MAT MET MEW. 

132. NAME LAME LADE BADE BABE BABY. 

142. CAME CAMS CAWS DAWS DAWN. 

152. JUNE DUNE DULE DULY JULY. 

162. FOOL FOAL GOAL GOAD LOAD LEAD LEAR 
LIAR. 

172. PARK BARK BARS BURS BUMS. 

182. TREE TRET TROT TROD PROD POOD WOOD. 
192. PAPER PALER PALES PANES PONES HONES 
HONEY MONEY. 

202. TALK WALK WARK WORK. 

212. SWEET SLEET FLEET FLEES FLOES FLOSS 
GLOSS GROSS CROSS. 

222. WIRE WORE TORE TOME HOME. 

232. BURY BURS BARS BARE BANE BONE BOLE 
HOLE. 


132 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 3 

3. BOY BON BAN MAN. 

13. WATER LATER LAVER LIVER RIVER. 

23. HILL HALL HALE VALE. 

33. CHOP SHOP SHOD SHED SUED SUEY. 

43. KISS KIST KILT KILL. 

53. WORK WORE WARE WAGE. 

63. HEAD MEAD MEND MIND. 

73. AI AY MY MARA. 

83. SHAME SHADE SLADE SLIDE SLIME CLIME 
CRIME PRIME PRIDE. 

93. HAIR HAIL HALL BALL BALD. 

103. FORD FORE PORE POKE JOKE. 

113. LASS LAST LIST LIFT LIFE WIFE. 

123. TIRE TORE SORE SORT SOOT SLOT SLOW 
BLOW. 

133. NONE NANE MANE MANY. 

143. GOOD FOOD FOOL FOAL FOIL FAIL FAIR. 
153. HURT HURL HULL HELL HEAL. 

163. BARK CARK CORK COOK TOOK TOOT TROT 
TRET TREE. 

173. HOUR DOUR DOAR DEAR YEAR. 

183. PORK PERK PEAK BEAK BEAN. 

193. NORTH FORTH FORTS SORTS SOOTS SOOTH 
SOUTH. 

203. FOOL TOOL TOLL TOLE TALE SALE SAGE. 
213. GRAY GRAD GOAD GOLD BOLD BALD. 

223. FISH FIST FAST PAST POST POSE POLE. 

233. OIL AIL AIT HIT HAT HAS GAS GAR CAR. 


133 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 4 

4. SICK SILK SILL WILL WELL. 

14. HAT CAT CAP. 

24. ONE ORE ARE ALE ALL. 

34. CHOW CHOP COOP COON MOON MOAN 
MEAN MEIN. 

44. GEE GEM HEM HAM HAW. 

54. PIER PEER PEAR PEAT PEST PAST FAST 
FIST FISH. 

64. CITY CITE MITE MATE FATE FARE FARM. 

74. GOLF GOLD WOLD WILD WILE WIFE. 

84. BANK BASK CASK CASH. 

94. SANE BANE BANS BUNS BUGS. 

104. FOUR TOUR TOUT LOUT LOFT LIFT LIFE 
LIVE FIVE. 

114. DIME DAME DANE DANK BANK BACK 
BUCK. 

124. SEED SLED FLED FLEE FREE TREE. 

134. HICK PICK PICE MICE MITE CITE CITY. 

144. DOOR DOUR SOUR SLUR SLUM SLAM. 

154. OLD ELD ELL EEL E’EN FEN FEW NEW. 

164. BEER BEAR BEAD BEND BIND WIND WINE. 

174. MAMA NAMA NAME TAME TAMS TAPS PAPS 
PAPA. 

184. CORN COON COOT COAT BOAT BEAT BEET 
BEEF. 

194. SOBER SORER SORES SIRES SIKES SIKHS 
SIGHS SIGHT TIGHT. 

204. WON’T DON’T DOST DUST MUST. 

214. SHOT SOOT MOOT MOLT MILT KILT KILL. 

224. WORM WORK CORK COOK HOOK. 

234. BUNT BUNK BULK BULL BALL FALL FAIL 
FOIL FOUL. 


134 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 5 

5. DUD CUD COD COW WOW. 

15. DOOR MOOR MOOT SOOT SHOT SHUT. 

25. FIRE FILE FILL FELL FELT FEAT HEAT. 

35. STALE STAKE STOKE STOPE STOPS SLOPS 
FLOPS FLOSS FLOSH FLESH FRESH. 

45. MAMA NAMA NAME HAME HARE HARM 
WARM. 

55. ROAD ROOD ROOK POOK PORK PARK. 

65. RAT FAT FAR FUR. 

75. MOON MOOT MOST MUST MUSH. 

85. WARM WARE CARE CORE CORN COON COOL. 
95. FEAR HEAR HEAD HERD HERO. 

105. BIRD BARD BARE TARE TORE TORT TOOT 
TROT TRET TREE. 

115. WALK CALK CARK CORK COOK TOOK TOOT 
TROT. 

125. CASE CARE CORE CORN COON MOON. 

135. PARTY PARTS PORTS POOTS TOOTS TROTS 
TROTH FROTH FROSH FROST. 

145. TEAR BEAR BEAD MEAD MEND. 

155. MAST HAST HALT HALL HULL. 

165. MINOR MANOR MAJOR. 

175. TOIL TOLL TOLD TOAD LOAD LOAF. 

185. WALK WALE MALE MILE. 

195. LEGS BEGS BOGS BOOS BOOK LOOK. 

205. NECK PECK PERK PARK PARS EARS. 

215. BOYS BOOS BOOT BLOT PLOT PLAT PLAY. 
225. FISH FIST FAST MAST MOST MOOT FOOT 
FOOD. 

235. LAID LAIN LAWN LAWS CAWS COWS COOS 
COOK BOOK. 


135 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 6 

6. JAIL FAIL FALL FILL FILE FINE. 

16. HOLD HELD WELD WEND WIND WINS WITS 
AITS ACTS ACES. 

26. WISE WILE TILE TILL TOLL TOOL FOOL. 

36. VIM DIM DIP RIP REP PEP. 

46. DOG DOT HOT. 

56. WHEAT CHEAT CLEAT FLEAT FLOAT FLOUT 
FLOUR. 

66. PAID PAIN PAWN DAWN DOWN. 

76. TAXIS TAXES TARES FARES. 

86. BILL PILL PALL PAIL PAID. 

96. MOTH MOTE MATE LATE LAME LAMP. 

106. GAS GAR PAR PAT PIT AIT AIR. 

116. MIST MAST MART MARL MAIL MAIN RAIN. 
126. ARMS ALMS ALES ALEE FLEE FLEW FLOW 
PLOW. 

136. CALL PALL PALE POLE POME COME. 

146. BROKE BRAKE BRASE BRASH CRASH CLASH 
FLASH FLUSH. 

156. ROOT TOOT TROT TRET TREE. 

166. MINX MINE MANE MADE LADE LADY. 

176. SKIP SKID SAID SAND SANE SAME SAMP 
SUMP JUMP. 

186. COLD HOLD HELD HEAD. 

196. JOB JAB JAY PAY. 

206. MEEK MEED MELD MOLD BOLD. 

216. DESK DISK DISH DASH CASH CASE CAPE 
COPE COPY. 

226. CARP CARS BARS BASS. 

236. DOGS HOGS HUGS HUNS HUNT PUNT PUTT 
PUTS PATS CATS. 


136 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 7 

7. CELL FELL FEEL FEET FRET FREE. 

17. ORE ARE ART AIT TIT TIN. 

27. SORE SURE CURE. 

37. ANT AIT BIT BET BEE. 

47. DOGS DOTS DOTE ROTE RATE RACE. 

57. HOPE LOPE LORE WORE WORK. 

67. DOG DOE TOE TIE. 

77. CASH CAST COST POST POOT POOR. 

87. PORK CORK COOK COOP CHOP. 

97. HERE HERD HELD HELL. 

107. CAR CAM AAM ARM ARK. 

117. GIRL GIRT DIRT DART DARE DATE. 

127. ASK ARK ART AIT LIT LET GET. 

137. FLAME FLAKE SLAKE SLOKE SMOKE. 

147. IRON IRAN BRAN BRAT BOAT GOAT GOAD 
GOOD WOOD. 

157. PAIN PAIT PAST EAST EASE. 

167. BIRD BIND BING SING. 

177. OIL AIL AIR FIR FAR GAR GAS. 

187. DEER DEAR DEAN LEAN LOAN LOON LION. 

197. JACK PACK PACT PAST PEST PEAT FEAT 

FLAT. 

207. CHIPS CHOPS COOPS COOKS CORKS CORES 
CONES CONEY MONEY. 

217. DUMP LUMP LIMP LIME LIVE DIVE. 

227. LACE PACE PARE PORE SORE SORT SOOT 
SHOT SHOE. 

237. PAVE PARE PART DART DIRT DIRE LIRE 
LORE LORD LOAD ROAD. 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 8 

8. WIFE LIFE LIFT LOFT LOST LOSS BOSS. 

18. BETS LETS LOTS LOSS LOST. 

28. HEN FEN FEY FLY. 

38. WIDE SIDE SIRE SORE SORT SOOT SLOT 
SLIT SLIM. 

48. TIP LIP LIT LET BET. 

58. TWO TOO TON SON SIN SIX. 

68. THE TIE TIT AIT ANT AND. 

78. BARK BARE BATE BITE. 

88. PRAY BRAY BRAT BOAT MOAT MOST MOSS 
MUSS CUSS. 

98. DIRT DINT DENT SENT SEAT SLAT SLAP 
SOAP. 

108. TEACH TENCH TENTH TENTS TEATS TEARS 
LEAR’S LEARN. 

118. OARS PARS PART PORT POOT BOOT BOAT. 
128. WANT WANE WAVE HAVE. 

138. COAL FOAL FEAL HEAL HEAT. 

148. FIRE BIRE BURE BURN. 

158. DECK RECK REEK REEL KEEL. 

168. PLOD PLOT POET PORT PORE POME HOME. 
178. PEN E’EN EEL ELL ELK ILK INK. 

188. KID DID DIG DOG. 

198. HAIL PAIL PAIT PART PORT POOT HOOT. 
208. FOOT SOOT SLOT SLOE SLEE SNEE KNEE. 
218. WATER PATER PARER PARES PARTS PORTS 
SORTS SOOTS SHOTS SHOTE SHORE. 

228. CASK CASE CANE WANE WINE. 

238. NIZE SIZE SINE SANE BANE BABE BABY 
BABE BARE RARE RACE RICE. 


138 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 9 

9. HEAD HEAL TEAL TELL TALL TAIL. 

19. PAPER PARER PORER PORES PORTS POOTS 
PLOTS PLATS PLAYS PRAYS PREYS PRESS. 
29. SIX SEX SEN TEN. 

39. LIFE LIVE LOVE. 

49. WADE WANE WAND SAND. 

59. TOAD WO AD WORD WARD WART. 

69. SELF SELL HELL HELP. ' 

79. BELL BILL BILE BINE BING RING. 

89. COOK CORK CORN BORN BURN. 

99. SHE THE TIE HIE HIM. 

109. SMALL SHALL SHALE SHARE SHORE SHORT. 
119. FAIR FAIL FOIL FOUL. 

129. JAIL SAIL SAID SLID SLED FLED FLEE FREE. 
139. SEED SLED SLEW SLOW SLOT CLOT COOT 
COOP CROP. 

149. STY SAY LAY LAD LID LIE LYE EYE. 

159. FORE FORD FOND FEND REND READ REAR. 
169. SEAT PEAT PERT PART PARE FARE. 

179. FRY FAY FAR EAR ERR ERG EGG. 

189. SIS SIT SAT SAY SOY BOY. 

199. BOIL BAIL PAIL PAID PARD HARD. 

209. DOUBT DOUST DOUSE DRUSE CRUSE CRUST 
TRUST. 

219. SILLY SILLS SELLS SEALS SEARS STARS 
START SMART. 

229. PLAY PLAT PLOT POOT POST PAST CAST. 
239. HAND LAND LANE LONE LORE FORE FORT 
FOOT POOT PORT PERT PEAT HEAT 
HEAD. 


139 


Solutions of All Problems Whose Numbers End 
with 0 

10. KING RING RUNG RUNE RULE. 

20. WRITE WHITE WHINE SHINE SHONE 
PHONE. 

30. BIRD BARD BARS BASS PASS PUSS. 

40. SIDE RIDE RICE RICK RACK BACK. 

50. WEST WELT WELD WILD. 

60. SMELL SWELL SWILL STILL. 

70. DIRTY DIRTS DARTS PARTS PORTS POOTS 
PLOTS PLOWS FLOWS FLOES FLEES FLEAS 
FLEAN CLEAN. 

80. CALF CALL TALL TELL TEAL VEAL. 

90. AM AY BY BE. 

100. NICE MICE MILE WILE WILD. 

110. PLAY PLAT PEAT PEAK PERK PORK WORK. 

120. ROAD ROOD ROOP ROMP RAMP CAMP CAME 
FAME. 

130. DINE DICE DACE FACE FACT FAST. 

140. THIS THIN THAN THAT. 

150. PIG JIG JAG JOG HOG. 

160. SCOT SCAT SEAT SENT BENT BANT BANK 
YANK. 

170. CORD CORE COPE ROPE. 

180. WIND WAND SAND SAID SAIL. 

190. HEN FEN FIN FIR AIR AIL OIL OWL. 

200. WORK WORD WOOD GOOD. 

210. FACE FARE FORE FORT FOOT. 

220. COAT COST CAST VAST VEST. 

230. LAY BAY BOY BON EON ERN ERG EGG. 

240. HORSE CORSE CURSE PURSE PUREE PURER 
PARER PATER WATER PATER PARER 
PARES PARTS PORTS POOTS PLOTS PLATS 
PLANS PLANK PRANK DRANK DRINK. 


140 


UNUSUAL WORDS 


Words Not in Common Use But Found in the 
Larger Dictionaries 

AAM. Dutch and German liquid measure. 

BANT. To restrict diet for the purpose of reducing weight. 
BINE. Any twining stem or plant. 

BING. Eight hundred pounds of lead ore. 

BIRE. Variant of BYRE. 

BOO, Boos. Sound or sounds to express contempt. 
BRASE. Variant of BRAZE. 

BURE. Scotch variant of BEAR. 

BYRE. A cow house. 

CARK. Worry; trouble. 

DEE. Shaped like the letter “D.” 

DOAR. An insect. 

DOUR. Inflexible. 

DOUST. Variant of DUST. 

DULE. Grief. 

ERN. A sea eagle. 

FEAL. Faithful. 

FEY. Doomed to die. 

FLEAN. FLAY. 

FLEAT. A plaited straw mat. 

FLOSH. Variant of FLASH. 

FROSH. A frog. 

GOOT. Variant of GOAT. 


141 


GRAD. The hundredth part of a right angle. 

IRAN. The native name of Persia. 

KIST. A chest. 

LEAR, poss. LEAR’S. A legendary king of Britain. 

MELD. To declare a score in pinochle. 

NAMA. One of a Hottentot tribe. 

NANE. Variant of NONE. 

NICKER. To neigh. 

PAIT. Variant of PAID. 

PARER. One who pares. 

PATER. Father. 

PICE. A coin of India. 

POME. Fruit of the apple family. 

POOD. A Russian measure of weight. 

POOK. A stack of hay. 

POOT, pi. POOTS. An English stirring rod. 

PORER. One who pores. 

PUREE. A thick soup. 

PURER. More pure. 

RAZZ. To guy. Not in the dictionary. The word is 
tipped off to you in the one instance in which it has been 
used in this book. RAZZ is in common use and is named 
as the first step in the problem. 

ROOP. Variant of ROUP. 

SICKER. Certainly. 

SIKES. A character in “Oliver Twist.” 

SILLEN. Variant of SELL. 

SILLER. Variant of SILVER. 


142 


SLADE. A little valley. 

SLEE. Cradle for a ship. 

SLOG. To hit hard but blindly. 

SLOKE. Scum in water. 

SNEE. To abound or swarm. 

SOLLAR. Platform in a mine shaft. 

SOLLER. Variant of SOLLAR. 

SORER. More sore. 

STOPE. Mine excavation. 

SUMP. A well to drain land. 

TAM, pi. TAMS. Tam-o’-shanter. The Scotch think it is 
a hat. 

TOLE. Variant of TOLL. 

TRET. An allowance for waste. 

TROD, p.p. of TREAD. 

WARK. Pain or ache. 

WELK. To fade or dry up. 



THE-PHD 


143 























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